“Oh… thank you,” Claire said, not refusing me as she took a seat to the side near the children. They were a part of our family and had always been there for us.
I smiled, looking around. Alejandro had his hand on my thigh whilst playing with the younger boys. Kataleya was sitting, hugging her teddy near my feet and smiling happily. She had asked Alejandro about Enrique, and he had told her he was with people who loved him and that he’d be keeping an eye on him, too. Sienna and Tatum had fallen asleep. Serena and Darien were cuddled together, Mom and Dad… Delsanra and Rayhan. Raihana had her head in Maria’s lap with her legs in Chris’ lap. Marcel was sitting on the sofa next to Raven as Liam sat back down, hugging her tightly and mind-linking her something which made her blush. Skyla had gone to get something but still wasn’t back.
I felt relieved, though. We could relax once more. Everything was okay again. Yes, we had lost some, and that was something that would remain with us and the families of those who had lost their loved ones, but we would try to be there for them the best we could. I was still grateful for everything we had.
“Tada!” Skyla said. We all turned to look at her, and my heart almost skipped a beat. In her arms, she was holding what looked like an alien.
“The fuck…” Alejandro muttered.
It took me a few seconds to realise it was a cat, one that had been shaved, put in a dress, and was wearing a black wig with two plaits. It looked scary.
“This is my minion. Every villain had a minion,” she stated.
“That’s scary,” Liam stated, earning a frown from her.
“Don’t judge things and people by their looks, Uncle,” she scolded.
“Yeah, Liam,” Azura said, truly fascinated by Skyla’s horrifying creation.
“Do you guys like it?” Skyla asked, her green eyes glinting.
“Um…” Mom started as Delsanra simply blinked at the cat that had jumped from Skyla’s arm and meowed, running to the window. If that wasn’t a sign of its trauma, I didn’t know what else we needed.
“My question is, how did you remove the hair?” Raven asked. You could tell she had missed spots.
“With an electric shaver,” Skyla replied, making Alejandro sigh.
That’s some weird shit,he said through the link, massaging his jaw.
“And my question is, where did that cat come from?” I asked, looking around. Was it new?
“I think it belongs to Drake’s son,” Serena added, making me frown.
“Skyla, did you steal it?”
“No, I just took it,” she said, looking guilty.
I raised an eyebrow but decided I would talk to her alone. She would be taking the cat back to its rightful owner, and if they didn’t want it anymore, thanks to her horrific transformation, I would make sure it was given to a new home. I thought she had been given a little too much freedom with everything going on, and it was high time I got back into Mom mode and held her accountable for her actions.
“We’ll discuss this tomorrow,” I said firmly with a small smile. She gulped and nodded, exchanging looks with Azura.
“Oh, dear... it seems like another Rossi is in trouble. What else is new?” Azura remarked, making Leo snicker.
“That kid’s on crack.”
“Yet you find her amusing,” Marcel replied, frowning at him.
“She’s entertaining,” he replied, shrugging, his eyes fixed on his phone.
“Crazy fuckers all around. So, who’s tired?” Alejandro asked, picking up a mug of hot chocolate.
“No one,” Azura replied.
“Oh, yeah? Rayhan, tired?”
“No, not really. Why?” He replied, clearly wondering why Alejandro was asking.
“Good, then how about I have a word with you and Leo now,” he said, standing up. The room went considerably quieter, and I heard Leo sigh in frustration.
